dbcve.org
AirflowApplication · Apache

CVE-2025-54831

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-26
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Apache Airflow 3 introduced a change to the handling of sensitive information in Connections. The intent was to restrict access to sensitive connection fields to Connection Editing Users, effectively applying a "write-only" model for sensitive values. In Airflow 3.0.3, this model was unintentionally violated: sensitive connection information could be viewed by users with READ permissions through both the API and the UI. This behavior also bypassed the `AIRFLOW__CORE__HIDE_SENSITIVE_VAR_CONN_FIELDS` configuration option. This issue does not affect Airflow 2.x, where exposing sensitive information to connection editors was the intended and documented behavior. Users of Airflow 3.0.3 are advised to upgrade Airflow to >=3.0.4.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

In Apache Airflow 3.0.3, sensitive connection fields (passwords, tokens, secrets) are incorrectly exposed to users with only READ permissions through both the API and UI, violating the intended write-only model. This exposure bypasses the AIRFLOW__CORE__HIDE_SENSITIVE_VAR_CONN_FIELDS configuration option designed to mask sensitive values.

MitigationUpgrade Airflow to version 3.0.4 or higher to restore proper access controls on sensitive connection fields.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
AirflowApplication
Affected:= 3.0.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Airflow version
    Run 'airflow version' or check the Airflow UI footer to confirm the exact version number
    Affected if Version is exactly 3.0.3 (other versions are not affected by this specific CVE)
  2. Create a test user with only READ permissions
    Create a user role or test account that has only read access to connections (e.g., Viewer or custom role without edit/delete permissions)
    Affected if The test user exists and has only read-level permissions on connections
  3. Check API exposure of sensitive connection fields
    Using the read-only test user credentials, query the Airflow API endpoint for connection details (e.g., GET /api/v1/connections/{connection_id}) and inspect the response payload for sensitive fields like password, login, or extra
    Affected if Sensitive fields (password, token, secret) are returned in plaintext in the API response for a read-only user, despite AIRFLOW__CORE__HIDE_SENSITIVE_VAR_CONN_FIELDS being enabled
  4. Check UI exposure of sensitive connection fields
    Log in as the read-only test user through the Airflow web UI, navigate to Admin > Connections, and view the details of any connection
    Affected if Sensitive fields are displayed in plaintext in the connection detail view for a read-only user

If running Airflow 3.0.3 and sensitive connection fields are visible to users with only read permissions via either the API or UI, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Airflow to version 3.0.4 or higher to restore proper access controls on sensitive connection fields.

Recommended fix High confidence

Airflow >=3.0.4

  1. Upgrade Apache Airflow from version 3.0.3 to version 3.0.4 or later
  2. After upgrading, verify that sensitive connection fields are no longer visible to users with READ-only permissions
  3. Confirm the `AIRFLOW__CORE__HIDE_SENSITIVE_VAR_CONN_FIELDS` configuration option is now properly enforced

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Airflow Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-54831 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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